About

$8,910

pledged of $3,000 goal

394

backers

Welcome to Oddity High!

Oddity High is a tabletop RPG about the life of a Japanese high school student - one who’s also got one foot firmly in the bizarre. It's influenced from the ground up by anime, manga, and video games that take the life of a high schooler and drive it off the deep end: Haruhi Suzumiya, the Persona games, Hatoful Boyfriend, and many more.

You're a high school student that's probably nowhere close to being ordinary. Whether you’re dealing with aliens, psychics, ghosts, demons, eldritch gods or sentient cats is up to you - but whatever it is, you’re in the thick of it. Fortunately, by happenstance or by design, you’ve got a gang of like-minded, equally-abnormal friends at your side - and with their help, you’ve got a fighting chance at surviving it. Just don’t forget that you’re also going to need to survive high school, as well.

Oddity High is powered by the Apocalypse Engine, the system used by legendary and award-winning games such as Dungeon World, Monster of the Week, The Sprawl, Urban Shadows, Fellowship, and many, many more.

Key Features

Unlike most PbtA games, you choose from two Playbooks: one for what you are, and one for your personality archetype. So, for example, you can be a Model Student that's a member of a secret agency, a Space Cadet who's really a robot, or an Otaku that, despite all odds, is actually an ordinary human. (More on Playbooks below)

Forget aliens and other threats - the biggest concern you have is school. Juggle your obligations, take part in school clubs, maybe fight to save the universe on the side, and try to avoid having a public breakdown.

Everyone around the table plays a part in building the school, designing its faculty, and crafting its rumors.

Solve problems in whatever way you're good at - whether that's talking through your issues or using your supernatural abilities

The Playbooks

Oddity High presents you with nine Real-Life Playbooks. These are who you are - the character archetype you're filling in the anime you and your fellow players are making. The Real-Life Playbooks are as follows:

The Brash - what you lack in politeness and restraint, you make up for with energy

The Drag-Along - you’re sensible enough to stay out of this mess, but someone’s taken you along for the ride

The Fanservice - you’re the most attractive person in school - this is both a blessing and a curse at times

The Model Student - whether the class president or the star athlete, you’re studious, respectable, and the faculty’s favorite

The Noble - you’re the senpai that everyone else wishes would notice them

The Otaku - you define yourself by your love of all things nerdy

The Prodigy - you’re far smarter than anyone else you know… and it’s lonely at the top

The Space Cadet - your mind is… different. Whether that makes you a genius or just a loon is very much up in the air

The Supporter - the only person who you wouldn’t give everything to help, is yourself

There are also ten Other-Life Playbooks. These are what you are, how you deviate from the norm, and what powers you have, if any. They are as follows

The Vanilla - you don’t have any powers whatsoever - best of luck out there

The Displaced - whether from another planet or another time, you’re certainly a fish out of water here

The Henshin - you have another form or self that you use to kick ass and fight evil

The Interface - you’re synthetic; built with great powers, but you exist only to serve your Leader

The Leash - you have an entity bound to you - powerful, temperamental, and under your complete control

The Mascot - you’re not human, but you’re here to help keep these humans from getting themselves killed

The Newbie - you woke up the other day to discover that you’ve got phenomenal powers. If only you knew how they worked…

The Plainclothes - you’re a part of a larger organization, packed with connections, resources, and questionable motives

The Smiler - your friendly face is just a mask - under it, there’s nothing but a heartless void

The Warper - you have the ability to subconsciously shape reality - and you’re completely unaware of it

Each Playbook also has certain sub-types that modify your stats, moves, and help define what you are. Once you've created your student, you're ready to start your classes. (Don't be late! And if you are, don't forget your toast!)

My name is Derek Ehlmann, and since this is my first foray into the world of RPG development, you probably don't really know who I am. And that's okay! I'm the lead designer and writer of the book. I made Oddity High because there just weren't any other games like it. I've always wanted to be able to tell stories like those of the works that inspired it, and I figured - why not make a framework for anyone to do so?

The book cover was done by the absolutely incredible Rosuuri, whose work in putting a professional finish on this game cannot be thanked enough. The interior art is currently being worked on, but will of course take time. But, with your help (financial or otherwise), we can give this game the polish it needs to truly shine.

What Am I Getting?

You're getting a book, about 150 pages or so (give or take thirty), 6" x 9", in full color. The rules for the game itself are already complete and will be available to the backers (as well as anyone who asks politely). The costs of the Kickstarter are covering art, layout, editing, and general polish.

Print On Demand copies will be self-service: You’ll get a discount code to buy a print copy from DriveThruRPG at cost, and they’ll ship it out to you. This means you save on the retail price and shipping, and you’ll have a professional outfit handle printing and shipping for you.

Where Is My Money Going?

Art, mostly, along with some editing. Any extra will serve towards paying for more art and polish for the game.

Any Stretch Goals?

I'll be providing a few. Primarily, these will be Playbooks that were set aside during development for the sake of focusing on the core set. Note that a stretch goal not meeting its mark doesn't mean you won't get it eventually - it just means that it won't be guaranteed to be published in case life gets crazy for me.

$3500 - Playbook Pack I: Two Real-Life Playbooks (The Quiet One and The Jester) and two Other-Life Playbooks (The Pilot and The Undead). (The Playbooks of the packs are not set in stone, in case they turn out to not be fun or impossible to write)

$4000 - Playbook Pack II: Two more Real-Life Playbooks (The Delinquent and The Teacher) alongside two game-changing Other-Life Playbooks (The Looper and The Time Traveler).

$5000 - Schools and Settings: Three schools, their surroundings, and a supernatural world for each of them - Isshiki Memorial Academy in the heart of Tokyo, the small rural town of Kihakugawa, and the advanced, wealthy but isolated Ginshima Institute of Learning.

Risks and challenges

This is my first Kickstarter, and my first time publishing a tabletop RPG. There's probably going to be some issues that I run into that will cause a set-back! The 02/2019 date for the rewards is something of a soft cap - everything should be done and published by then.

While everything is still in testing and flux, the core game is finished and has been playtested multiple times. There is still more writing and flavor to be produced, but the core game is completed. The main delays come from the fact that making the book's art takes time.

Some risks include:

My own well-being: If something catastrophic happens to me (car accident, a particularly bad fire, etc.), that will put a damper on my ability to deliver this game.

Art: Artists are busy people with their own lives. College, other projects, etc. mean that it takes time for each piece of art to be created. This is far and away the most likely reason for delays on this project.

New content: Since there are Playbooks being created and art being sourced, delays might occur as those are sourced from their backers and polished.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

Transfer Student

All the benefits of the Club President tier, plus your character's name and (written) likeness will be featured in the Schools and Settings supplementary book. (The character may be altered to better fit a given setting, with your permission)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $40 or more
About $40

Class Representative

A character of your design will be one of Oddity High’s student body and will be featured in the game’s artwork. (I reserve the right to decline or request modifications to your character’s designs if they clash with the values of myself, Oddity High, or its artists. Check the FAQ for more details on including your own character) Also includes all the benefits of the Club President tier.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $40 or more
About $40

Class Representative (S&S version)

The same as the Class Representative tier, except your character's likeness will be in the Schools and Settings supplementary book. (All terms and restrictions from the Class Representative tier apply)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $55 or more
About $55

Student Council Member

Not only do you get the benefits of the Class Representative tier, but your character also becomes one of the main “cast members” of Oddity High - your character’s name and likeness will appear throughout the book in examples of play and the like. (All the limitations of the above apply, plus I reserve the right to decline the character or request modifications if their name or personality would clash with Oddity High’s setting or tone)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

Paragon of the School

All the benefits of the Student Council Member tier, and you get to design your own Real-Life Playbook, which will be included in Oddity High alongside a character of your design which will represent that Playbook. (I will work with you to the best of my abilities to implement this Playbook, but I reserve the right to reject anything I deem tasteless, unwelcome, or that otherwise does not fit with the setting or tone of Oddity High)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

Emissary of the Odd

All the benefits of the Student Council Member tier, and you get to design your own Other-Life Playbook, which will be included in Oddity High alongside a character of your design which will represent that Playbook. (I will work with you to the best of my abilities to implement this Playbook, but I reserve the right to reject anything I deem tasteless, unwelcome, or that otherwise does not fit with the setting or scope of Oddity High)